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purdey -- stunts -- cars -- conflicts of interest -- canada here we come -- what next
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They're Back! 1976 saw the return of Steed, but this time he was accompanied by two new partners; Purdey, played by model, Joanna Lumley and Mike Gambit, played by newcomer, Gareth Hunt. There were arguements about whether there should have been three, but it was eventually decided that someone else needed to be there to support Steed! |
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Three hundred other actresses auditioned for the part of Purdey, whose original name was to be Charly - they decided against it because there was a perfume on the market at the time with the same name, so the name Purdey was chosen after the worldly reknowned shotgun! Brian Clemens and Albert Fennell chose Joanna Lumley, it turns out Clemens wanted her right from the start. It
was rumoured that in the very beginning, Purdey should be played as
Steed's niece, but this idea was scrapped before any filming took place.
It is probably best they didn't play it like that, as the on screen
relationship they both have is wonderful! |
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The two newcomers needed to get fit for their parts - they both endured hours of physical training to develop their on screen personas. Purdey was a former ballerina with a very high kick - handy for getting those pesky villains out of the way. Gambit was the martial arts expert, he was a major in the Para's and drove racing cars for a short time. They both did the majority of their own stunts, leaving the really touch stuff to Cyd Child (who also doubled for Diana Rigg and Linda Thorson), Joe Dunne and Rocky Taylor. |
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The cars they all drove were just as sexy as they were in the old series, one in particular that is my personal favourite; Steed's hand-made sports Jaguar replete in British Racing Green with those superb flared wheel arches and wonderful alloy wheels. He also sported a Range Rover and that awful yellow Rover SD1. Gambit spent most of his time in his trust Range Rover, but skidded around sometimes in his red Jaguar XJS In
the beginning, Purdey drove an MGB but changed to a Triumph TR7 later
in the series. |
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After Season One, the series was now owned by an independent company, Avengers (Film & TV) Enterprises Ltd, formed by French TV Producer, Rudolf Roffi, Brian Clemens, Albert Fennel and music composer, Laurie Johnson. It was the first independent television company in the UK.....but there were downfalls! There were fights over various things including the style and general direction of the series. It was rumoured that the actors and staff sometimes didn't get paid for some shows, Brian Clemens claims he lost £70,000! Because of the lack of finance, the idea of having a famous guest star in each episode could never go ahead. |
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Nielsen-Ferns, a Canadian company provided additional backing for thirteen more episodes to be produced in 1977. Again they were at loggerheads once more, the French & Canadian companies demanded some episodes be shown in their respective Countries, which did happen. During this time however, Rudolf Roffi, the French "money" vanished and never returned! Season Two of the New Avengers saw the loss of the much-loved "Avengers" charm, that fans everywhere loved so much, probably due to the three different Countries being involved - although it started to lose its flare, it didn't disuade the true fans! The
last four episodes of Season Two were shot in Canada (Complex, The Gladiators,
Forward Base & Emily). Brian Clemens calls them "disastrous",
as he had, by this time lost control and Canadian directors and producers
had taken over, employing Canadian supporting actors. |
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"Emily" was the last show to be shot in Canada, unfortunately, by this time, due to shoddy network coverage in the UK, the show had lost a lot of its ratings. Thus marking the end of The Avengers, old and new. Clemens and Fennell then went on to create, Bodie & Doyle, The Professionals. However, LWT did offer part-funding for a third series of the New Avengers due to the success of The Professionals, even the three main characters had all agreed to come back but no other finance was available so the end was definitely here! Further attempts were made to revive the show and even a film in the 1980's, but nothing ever came of it. That leads me to the 1998 disaster, The Avengers Movie starring Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman, one word.....why? My five favourite New Avengers episodes are listed here.
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[Nicola Jones]
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